


didn't you know love could shine this bright

by celestial_lights



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vacation, lots of headcanon and twisting canon around to make this work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 20:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19731478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestial_lights/pseuds/celestial_lights
Summary: A proposal on a trip abroad.(au where minato lives and loves his boyfriend souji)





	didn't you know love could shine this bright

The restaurant was the first place the couple got to sit down at after spending the entire morning and afternoon exploring the streets of Zürich. They were nearing the end of their month-long excursion through Europe, with the city Souji had called home for part of his childhood being their last destination before flying back to Japan. Minato let him choose the other cities for their trip, so long Zürich was their last stop. He wanted Souji to have good memories of the city, because he knew for a fact Souji was essentially alone the last time he was there, no matter how much he would insist otherwise.

That was the exact reason why they took their time going through the backstreets and hole-in-the-wall shops before settling down for a meal. Minato wanted Souji to be happy there, with someone he loved. Not to mention, the way his face lit up whenever they came across a place he remembered from his childhood made this entire trip worth it to Minato.

The cafe they went to had a massive outdoor patio overlooking the lake that surrounded the city. Even though it was a chilly early spring day, the sun was shining bright without a cloud in the sky.

While they both agreed their meals were amazing, they had also been taken in by the view of the lake and the architecture of the buildings surrounding it. The sun had just begun to set by the time they were finished, covering the city in a warm glow.

It was perfect for what Minato had planned. His hand instinctively went to the pocket of his peacoat, feeling around for the velvet box he had managed to hide in his luggage for the entirety of their trip. Thankfully, it was still there, exactly where he placed it before they left that morning.

Minato’s anxiety built up during the course of their dinner, knowing this would be one of his last chances while they were on their trip. He was hoping to take advantage of the scenery, and he definitely got it. When he could see Souji looking around, trying to flag down their waiter for the check, he instead stopped him.

“H-hold on a second, I wanted to say something,” Minato began.

Souji looked back at him. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”

“Right. You… you know I’m bad at uh… verbalizing my affection, but I’m going… to try. For you,” Minato began. He shifted the hand that remained firmly in his coat pocket, while simultaneously trying to ignore the fact he was shaking.

Minato then reached across the table, grasping Souji’s hand with his own. He gave a weak, but genuine smile, because he didn’t want Souji to be worried. Souji gave a slight nod, acknowledging he was listening and had Minato’s full attention. 

He took the little motion as a cue to begin saying what he had prepared for  _ weeks _ now. Minato had initially planned on declaring his love in some elaborate, extravagant manner, but he then realized that wasn’t like him, it wasn’t genuine enough. Souji deserved something genuine. And so here he was, after all of that, and his mind was blanking. He was trying to figure out just  _ what  _ he wanted to say, because words couldn’t possibly be enough to describe his love for Souji Seta.

Speaking of Souji, he was looking slightly more concerned, eyebrows knitted together in a combination of confusion and worry. Minato didn’t want to worry him anymore. He needed to do this.

“Sorry, I’m okay,” he mumbled. “I, well… the past few years with you have been… incredible. You  _ get  _ me. You love me despite my flaws, despite my past and everything that happened to me…” he trailed off again, breaking his eye contact to look down at his coat pocket. 

_ Screw it, _ he thought. 

_ Actions speak louder than words anyway. _

He pulled his hand out, revealing the tiny velvet box-

_Oh._ _Oh my god,_ Souji realized, his eyes widening. He remained frozen in his seat, unable to process what was happening beyond the fact that this was _real_. He had to admit, something like this happening was a thought that couldn’t escape the back of his mind. Minato had been acting strange, but he brushed it off as him being his usual aloof self. He really didn’t think _this_ was going to happen today, but he had clearly been mistaken. 

Minato took a deep breath. “I… I love you so much, Souji.” 

He stood up from his seat, maneuvering around the small café table. Souji, who followed his every movement from his own seat with bated breath, was still trying to process everything, while at the same time wishing he could commit every single detail of this moment to memory. Minato held his hand out, an offering for Souji to stand up in front of him, to which he graciously accepted. Souji knew exactly what was going on, had waited for this for months, but went along with it regardless. 

Then Minato got down on one knee. 

“I want to spend forever with you. Please, marry me,” he said as he opened the box, revealing a matching set of rings. The bands were simple, each of them jet-black with a small diamond inlaid in the center.

Souji couldn’t figure out how to respond. Well, of course he’d say yes, but he was too much in shock to actually say it right away. He figured marriage would be their next step soon enough - the two had talked about it before - but he also thought  _ he _ would be the one proposing. Not Minato, and especially not during their trip abroad. The pieces had begun to connect together, though - being in his childhood hometown, going to the upscale restaurant - it all suddenly made sense.

“A-are you crying?” Minato asked, suddenly unsure of what he had just done. He dreaded what was coming next, the inevitable ‘no’ that would come from Souji.

Instead, Souji laughed. It was light, airy, and definitely a good sign. Minato let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Yes, yes I will, of course I will!” Souji finally said. He was so unbelievably happy, he couldn’t stop the tears from running down his cheeks, but he didn’t care who saw because this was the best moment of his life thus far. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” he reaffirmed, softer this time.

Minato smiled, no, he  _ beamed _ . The pure anxiety he felt was completely washed away, replaced instead with a warmth that welled up so much in him he felt like his heart was going to explode.

Souji Seta, the love of his life, the one that saw past the shield that Minato constantly put up, saw that he was worth loving, agreed to marry him. To be his _fiancé_ , and eventually his _husband._ He was his, and his only. He wanted this for so long, he spent so much time waiting for this moment.

Souji felt the same way – he felt as if he were on top of the world, that nothing could bring him down, because his boyfriend wanted to marry him so badly that he went and popped the question himself. Souji spent so long agonizing over the decision, holding off on asking because he wanted it to be on Minato’s terms. And here Minato was, fully confident in their relationship, confident in  _ himself.  _ Souji couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life with anybody else, and he was so, so relieved Minato felt the same.

Minato bounced to his feet and squeezed Souji tight. He was slightly surprised, because it was so unlike him - but it didn’t matter at all in that moment. Nothing mattered but Souji’s warmth and the muffled sound of his heart beating against Minato’s ear. He caught a hint of Souji’s cologne, sharp yet earthy and smelling just like him, just like home, because Souji was his home. If he could, he would just exist in this moment forever.

Minato forgot about everything surrounding him, which included the velvet box, still clasped in his hand, albeit now closed. At least, until Souji pointed it out. “Hey, let’s see how those rings look, okay?” he whispered as he ran a hand through his partner’s hair. 

Minato jolted in surprise, slightly embarrassed he held onto him that long (and in public).

“Right, let’s, uh, try them on,” Minato suggested, trying to be as collected as possible even though he felt so lightheaded he was genuinely concerned about passing out. He sat back down, encouraging Souji to do the same. In the meantime, he handled the box, trying to figure out which ring was fitted for Souji’s hand. His own hand was trembling (he hoped he wouldn’t drop the band right now), but he managed to get Souji’s ring out without too much trouble. 

He reached for Souji’s left hand, touching it as if it were made of glass, as if it were a work of art. Souji’s lip trembled, fresh tears staining his cheeks. The cool metal of the band met his ring finger, and before he knew it, his engagement ring adorned his hand. A reminder of the relationship he had with Minato and the future commitment to come.

_ Perfect _ .

“If… if I may,” Souji said, picking up the other band.

Minato’s fingers were lithe, almost skeletal compared to Souji’s own. He took a moment to hold onto Minato, running his thumb over his fiancé’s knuckles, admiring him in the same way Minato had done before. He looked the ring he was holding too – it was the exact same design as his own, only a couple of sizes smaller. 

“These are beautiful, you know. Not as much as you, though,” Souji remarked, causing Minato to hide his face in the scarf he was wearing out of embarrassment.

“Stop that,” Minato mumbled, although he would do anything to let this moment last forever.

Souji merely chuckled, slipping the ring on Minato’s hand with ease.

“Hey,” he said so casually, as if the past minute didn’t just happen.

“Hmm?”

“We’re matching,” Souji replied, holding up his hand to prove his point. His smile turned into a grin, beaming with pride as he caught a look at their matching rings. Not only was he so unbelievably thrilled and relieved that they were  _ finally _ engaged, but he was so, so proud of Minato for being the one to actually propose.

“Yeah, we are,” Minato replied, looking down at his engagement ring, smiling softly as he did so. 

“Come here,” Souji said, gently pulling at the lapels of Minato’s pea coat, guiding him into a kiss. He couldn't have asked for anything better.

**Author's Note:**

> hi you can pry protagshipping from my cold dead hands  
> i based the rings off of [these ones](https://www.jared.com/en/jaredstore/r6-rings-101524--1/mens-9mm-band-1-10-carat-diamond-black-tungsten-carbide-03169860299--1/101524/101524.101532) i found online  
> headcanons explained: minato lives somehow. how? i don't know  
> souji is shown in canon to spend a lot of his childhood traveling with his parents. i chose zurich as a place he lived at primarily because it's one of the major financial capitals of europe, it wouldn't be unrealistic to have his parents live there briefly for business - this could also explain why he knows english in canon  
> also i wrote most of this after going on my own trip to europe, so i had the travel bug and had to write my faves doing the same thing lmao
> 
> title is from deer in the headlights by owl city, thanks to whoever it was in the fools in love zine chat that suggested it as a bankita song
> 
> also thanks to my friend shulk for beta reading this, it's much appreciated!


End file.
